Chandler Parsons says Doc-Austin is a worse father-son dynamic than LeBron-Bronny: "I can't help but think that's favoritism"
Many called nepotism when the Los Angeles Lakers selected Bronny James with the 55th overall pick of the 2024 NBA Draft. Now that he is on the team, critics continue to call out the organization for giving him a roster spot, with the noise getting louder after Bronny's preseason struggles.
However, while detractors continue to dish out hate on LeBron James and his son, former NBA player Chandler Parsons thinks Doc Rivers coaching his son Austin was worse.
"That to me is more strange," Parsons said on the Run It Back podcast. "Because a player is always gonna feel some way about the coach. 'Uh, he snubbed me. You subbed me out too early.' Three minutes to go, and he looks down the bench and picks Austin to go in instead of me. I'm gonna feel a little slighted by that. I can't help but think that's favoritism."
Rivers brought his son to L.A.
Coming out of Duke, the New Orleans Hornets selected Austin with the 10th overall pick in the 2012 NBA Draft. After playing two-and-a-half seasons in the Big Easy, he was traded to the Boston Celtics. Three days later, Rivers was shipped to the Los Angeles Clippers, where he became the first player in NBA history to play for his father.
Doc was both the coach and general manager of the Clippers during that period, which means that the trade, if not initiated by him, had his blessing as the head of basketball operations.
Not surprisingly, Austin saw his minutes, role, and statistical production increase while playing for the Clippers. In 2017-18, he averaged a career-high 15.1 points and 4.0 assists per game, starting 59 out of 61 games that campaign.
Did Doc help land Austin a big contract?
Perhaps more controversial than Austin playing for his father was the accusation by Matt Barnes that Doc helped land his son a big contract with the Clippers.
"What got funny was when he got the bread," Barnes said on the All The Smoke podcast. "Austin got way more money than me, Jamal (Crawford), and JJ (Redick), and we was the ones putting in all the minutes and a lot of the work…At the moment, I'm like, 'What the f***?'"
Although they are teammates, LeBron technically did not have the power to draft Bronny and has no control over his son's playing time. Meanwhile, Doc was GM when Austin was dealt to the Clippers and was directly responsible for subbing players in and out, making things look awkward.
Still, it's worth noting Austin was a very good basketball player. Bronny, meanwhile, is yet to prove he's worthy of an NBA roster spot.
